Well, yes it's still great that Scotland is investing in fertility services, but the announcement was swiftly followed by the news that in Fife anyone who was overweight or who smoked would not qualify for treatment. The weight rule applies solely to women who have a BMI, or body mass index, of 30 or above but the smoking ban applies to both partners.
This kind of rationing is often presented as being only sensible because we know that smoking affects IVF outcomes and that being obese can affect fertility - why not restrict treatment to those for whom it is most likely to work? The problem is that all kinds of medical treatments are more likely to be successful for average-sized non-smokers, and yet rationing in many other areas would be seen to be out of the question.
It's yet another example of the way that couples with fertility problems are judged - and divided into those who are deemed to be deserving of treatment and those who are not.
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